Is your mineral water bottle safe ?

 

We believe that  bottled mineral water is safe  .Its partly true .It may be the safest option in areas where there is no access to safe drinking water to avoid infections . But we need to be aware of the harmful aspect of the bottled water which is plastic exposure.

In a trailblazing study, researchers have discovered bottled water sold in stores can contain 10 to 100 times more bits of plastic than previously estimated — nanoparticles so infinitesimally tiny they cannot be seen under a microscope.

At 1,000th the average width of a human hair, nanoplastics are so tiny they can migrate through the tissues of the digestive tract or lungs into the bloodstream, distributing potentially harmful synthetic chemicals throughout the body and into cells, experts say.

One liter of water — the equivalent of two standard-size bottled waters — contained an average of 240,000 plastic particles from seven types of plastics, of which 90% were identified as nanoplastics and the rest were microplastics, according to the study.

A 2018 study that first detected the existence of micro- and nanoplastics in 93% of samples of bottled water sold by 11 different brands in nine countries.In that  study, they found each tainted liter of water held an average of 10 plastic particles wider than a human hair, along with 300 smaller particles. Five years ago, however, there was no way to analyze those tiny flecks or discover if there were more.

In the recent study, published in January 2024 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Columbia University presented a new technology that can see, count and analyze the chemical structure of nanoparticles in bottled water.
Instead of 300 per liter, the team behind the latest study found the actual number of plastic bits in three popular brands of water sold in the United States to be in between 110,000 and 370,000, if not higher. 

The finding reinforces long-held expert advice to drink tap water from glass or stainless steel containers to reduce exposure.That advice extends to other foods and drinks packaged in plastic as well.
 

Nanoplastics are the most worrisome type of plastic pollution for human health, experts say. That’s because the minuscule particles can invade individual cells and tissues in major organs, potentially interrupting cellular processes and depositing endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenols, phthalates, flame retardants, per- and polyfluorinated substances, or PFAS, and heavy metals. The chemicals can be carried to your liver and your kidney and your brain and even make their way across the placental boundary and end up in an unborn child. 

Plastics are implicated in many diseases like Obesity , Hypertension, Thyroid problems, Cancers,  Inflammatory Bowel disease,Infertility, Lung disease , Preterm birth , Birth defects  etc  .So beware. Cut down plastic exposure as much as possible.

Simple tips to decrease plastic exposure :

• Avoid mineral water in plastic bottles as much as possible.
• Do not take hot drinks/foods from plastic containers ( Eg Swiggy , Zomato etc) . Some tea shops give parcel tea in plastic packets. Never drink it.
• Do not keep plastic bottled water in  hot sun/ inside car( where it can become hot )  .  
• Never use plastic containers to microwave , even if it mentioned  "microwave safe "
• Avoid plastic cutting boards / spoons /plates/glasses
• Use stainless steel or glass bottles for drinking water or other drinks or foods .